A bipartisan bill creating a commission to study the problem of rising college tuition in New Jersey was approved by a Senate committee today.

The bill (S1871) would create an 11-member panel to help identify the underlying causes of rising tuition costs and make recommendations to the governor and the Legislature on how to rein them in. The panel would look at four-year public and private institutions, along with community colleges.

The bill is sponsored by senators Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen) and Sandra Cunningham (D-Hudson)

“Unfortunately, students are coming out of college with huge debt and an unbearable burden,” Cardinale told the committee today.